Nail nippers

ABSTRACT

A double-edged cutting tool which has a spring biased handle and blades forming at least one pair of opposed cutting edges which can be used to perform a cutting operation on an object in a forward or reverse direction without changing the orientation of the handles with respect to the object.

States Patent 1 in [111 3,844,032 i ga [45] Oct. 29, 1974 [54] NAILNIPPERS 529,258 11/1894 Gardner 30/226 W61 Inventor: Jack Siegal, 84-20Britten 1%?335 73%; 3338511333: IIIIIIIIIII.. 3i /i7 Elmhurs" 113731,845,434 2/1932 Moskow 0. 30/176 22 Filed: May 6 1 74 2,146,132 2/1939Scholl 30/28 PP 467,429 Primary ExaminerAl Lawrence Smith R l t d Us. AD ta Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith [63] C e f s 2 a 72 Attorney,Agent, or FirmLadas, Parry, Von Gehr,

ontinuatlon 0 er. 0. 6 71, June 23, 19 Goldsmith & Deschamps abandoned.

52 US. Cl 30/28, 30/176, 30/193 [571 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl B26b 17/04,B45d 29/02 A double-edged cutting tool which has a spring biased [58]Field of Search Q 30/28, 29, 145, 176, 177, handle and blades forming atleast one pair of opposed 30/178, 193, 212, 226, 227, 229 cutting edgeswhich can be used to perform a cutting operation on an object in aforward or reverse direc- [56] References Cited tion without changingthe orientation of the handles UNITED STATES PATENTS Huntington 30 226with respect to the object.

2 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures NAIL NIPPERS This is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 265,871 filed June 23, 1972, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Art The present inventionrelates to a cutting tool for cut- 'ting or .trimming an object,particularly fingernails or toenails.

2. Description of Prior Art The conventional nail nippers or cuttingtools have single opposed cutting edges attached to pivoted handles. Fora person using the nippers or tool in his right hand, for example, thereis no difficulty in cutting the left side of a nail. However. it isextremely difficult with such tool to cut or trim the right side of thesame nail without changing the orientation of the tool with respect tothe nail or shifting the tool to be held in the left hand. A righthanded person would normally have difficulty in exerting the sameamountof operating force on the handles with his left hand.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool whichcan cut both the left and right sides of a fingernail or toenail withoutany necessity for the user to change hands operating the tool.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutting toolwhich has pointed ends on the pairs, of cutting edges which can be usedfor cutting the corners of a fingernail or toenail.

' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The cutting tool of the present inventioncomprises a pair ofhandles, each of which has a blade portion providingat leastone pair of cutting edges. and which v is pivoted about afulcrum to form opposed cutting BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. Iis a plan view of a cutting tool in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cutting tool of FIG. .1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views of the two elements of the cutting tool ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of one of the cutting elements with a differenttype handle;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a cutting tool in accordance with anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the cutting tool of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are plan views of the two elements of the cutting tool ofFIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRST EMBODIMENT With reference to FIG. 1 of thedrawings, there is shown a cutting tool (1) which has a pair of curvedhandle portions (2,3) adapted to be gripped in the hand of a person formovement abut a pivot (4) toward and away from each other. The handleportions (2,3) have a free end (5,6) and at the other end are providedwith a blade portion (7,8). The handle portion (2,3) may be shaped witha double curvature, that is, one part (9) having a small radius nearerthe pivot or fulcrum and another part (10) thereof which is adapted tobe gripped in a person's hand with a larger radius of curvature. It willbe understood that the handle portions could be formed as well with asingle curvature as shown in FIG. 5. The interior surface of the handleportion of smaller curvature facing the opposed handle portion may beprovided with a projection or peg (I2) thereon upon which is preferablymounted a coil spring, helicalleaf-type spring (13) or any like springmember, which acts to bias the handles into an open position. Of course,without any spring the movement of the handle portions could beperformed manually. The opening movement of the handles could be limitedto a distance apart easily gripped in a persons hand by opposedshoulders on the blade portions (not shown).

Each of the handle portions has a blade portion (7,8) as illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings which has a cutting edge on each side ofthe pivot or fulcrum. Each cutting edge (14) on each of the handleportions is adapted for cooperation with a cutting edge on the othersaid handle portion so that two pair of cutting edges are provided. Thepairs of coacting cutting edges are brought together for a cuttingoperation by movement of the handle portions (2,3) toward each other.

In the FIG. 1 embodiment of the cutting tool, each of the blade portions(7,8) preferably is curved in an are through the pivot or fulcrum (4) ina vertical plane at an acute angle to the handle portion (2,3). Thus inFIG.

1 the tips (15,16) of each blade portion are spaced from a horizontalplane through the pivot or fulcrum (4).

The blade portions as illustrated in FIG. 1 are each shaped with astraight cutting edge (17) on each side of the fulcrum (4) and a curvedouter edge (18) connecting the tip 15,16) ofone said cutting edge withthe other end of the cutting edge on the other side of the pivot orfulcrum, somewhat in the shape of a flattened S.

The pivot or fulcrum (4) forms the connecting point between handleportions and may be provided by cooperating elements'formed on the.blade portions. One blade portion may have a pin member (19) connectedthereto or form integrally therewith and the other blade member may beprovided with an aperture (20) in register with the pin member on theother blade portion and in which the pin is mounted for pivotalmovement. Likewise, each blade portion could be provided with anaperture therethrough at the pivot point and a separate pin member orthreaded lug can be mounted in said apertures to facilitate pivotalmovement of the blade portions about said pivot.

In the FIG. 1 embodiment the cutting edges (17) of each of the bladeportions meet each other upon closing movement of the handle portions.It should be understood, however, that with only slight modification thecutting edges of each of the blade portions could be arranged to performa scissor-like action or alternatively the same blade portions can bemade adjustable by the pivot or fulcrum constructions so that they canbe made to perform a nipper operation or a shearing operation asdesired.

SECOND EMBODIMENT In FIGS. 6 to 9 of the drawings another embodiment ofthe invention is illustrated. However, in this construction the bladeportion (7,8') of the respective handle portions (2,3') is arrangedentirely on one side of the pivot or fulcrum (4' The blade portions(7,8')

coact to provide cutting edges which meet to form nippers or passeach'other in a scissor-like action, but provide a curved cuttingsurface with two pair of points. Like the first embodiment both sides ofa fingernail or toenail can be trimmed or cut without changing theorientation of the instrument with respect to the object being cut.

The basic construction of the handle portions and the pivot or fulcrumis identical with that of the first embodiment. The construction of thisembodiment differs only in the manner in which the blade portions aremounted on the handle portions and are located with respect to the pivotor fulcrum.

With reference to the foregoing description of the embodiments, 1 claim:

1. A cutting tool for manicuring finger and toe nails, which comprises apair of handle portions pivotally connected at a fulcrum, each of whichhas curved elongate blade portions providing at least one pair ofopposed abutting longitudinally oriented cutting edges terminating attheir outer tips in two pairs of pointed ends, one pair directedforwardly and the other pair directed rearwardly towards the handle,wherein said pointed end of said opposed cutting edges directedrearwardly toward said handle lies out of the plane formed by saidhandle and said fulcrum, said curved rearwardly blade portion curvingfrom the plane of said fulcrum and handle to said pointed end, whereby acutting operation can be performed on the right and/or left side of thedesired object without reversing the orientation of the cutting toolwith respect to the object.

2. A cutting tool according to claim 1 wherein both said pointed ends ofsaid opposed cutting edges lie out of the plane formed by said handlesand said fulcrum.

1. A cutting tool for manicuring finger and toe nails, which comprises apair of handle portions pivotally connected at a fulcrum, each of whichhas curved elongate blade portions providing at least one pair ofopposed abutting longitudinally oriented cutting edges terminating attheir outer tips in two pairs of pointed ends, one pair directedforwardly and the other pair directed rearwardly towards the handle,wherein said pointed end of said opposed cutting edges directedrearwardly toward said handle lies out of the plane formed by saidhandle and said fulcrum, said curved rearwardly blade portion curvingfrom the plane of said fulcrum and handle to said pointed end, whereby acutting operation can be performed on the right and/or left side of thedesired object without reversing the orientation of the cutting toolwith respect to the object.
 2. A cutting tool according to claim 1wherein both said pointed ends of said opposed cutting edges lie out ofthe plane formed by said handles and said fulcrum.